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UltravioletPhotography

Has the Noflexar 35/3.5 fever broken?


Bill De Jager

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Bill De Jager

But how does the updater get the root password?

 

In Windows, to install a program you have to log in as an admin. Then the program has free reign to do whatever it wants to do. I ran into something similar on my Mac when I upgraded the OS - I had to enter my password before the upgrade would happen. Macs have more safeguards about what programs are allowed to do but I'm really not familiar with that aspect of the OS.

 

Bottom line is, Lloyd Chambers used to work in the IT industry and knows a lot about software. If he's worried about the security aspects of something then I'd take it seriously.

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But my Admin and Root have different passwords. So I'm just trying to sort out how Admin could "become" Root on my Mac. But I will look further into it.

 

Also an IT nerd here I am. But it's been a looooong time..... :D

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Bill De Jager

But my Admin and Root have different passwords. So I'm just trying to sort out how Admin could "become" Root on my Mac. But I will look further into it.

 

Also an IT nerd here I am. But it's been a looooong time..... :D

 

I'm going to speculate that if it needs a password for root access (if that's above and beyond admin access, depending on the OS) then it'll ask for the password, and otherwise it won't work. That's the only explanation I can think of that makes sense.

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The Novoflex Noflexar 35mm f/3.5 was popularized a while back which led to complaints about the price going up to unreasonable levels. But recent prices on the US Ebay site seem to be more reasonable even if not actually cheap. The last three bid (as opposed to buy-it-now) sales were at $99 (one bid at starting price), $150 (one bid at starting price), and $128.50 (15 bids from a $9 starting price, which I won). I'd consider the last of these to be the most representative due to there being a true bidding contest. As always, there will continue to be grossly overpriced buy-it-now listings and a few people will fall for those.

 

So, what is realistic price now for M42 version? There is one locally that no one wants to buy.

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Depends on condition, of course. And local economy.

If last 3 that Bill found on Ebay were averaged approximately, then (100+150+130)/3 => approximately (US)125 ????

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Bill De Jager

I don't think I've seen that happen?

I'm going to speculate that if it needs a password for root access (if that's above and beyond admin access, depending on the OS) then it'll ask for the password, and otherwise it won't work. That's the only explanation I can think of that makes sense.

 

I may not have been grasping this conversation properly. Andrea, have you been using a Sony camera?

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Yes. One of my conversions is a Sony a7R.

 

Also I have converted Nikon D600, Panasonic Lumix GH1 and Pentax K5 bodies in current use.

 

I didn't think I had any right to (co-)run a UV Photography website without some experience across a range of cameras, lenses and filters. So I set out to gain that experience and perhaps be of better assistance to the UVP membership. "-)

And I'm still learning!

It has all been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

 

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Bill De Jager

Yes. One of my conversions is a Sony a7R.

 

Andrea, my apologies for not grasping this when I responded earlier. I was in over my head in this discussion. I've not tried updating my A6000 for the reason I gave earlier.

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Bill, no apologies necessary!!!! If you get in over your head, I will pull you out

as long as you will pull me out when it happens to me. :rolleyes: B) :D

 

I personally think you are wise to take some care with Sony updates. I'll try to look into this further.

If it is only the Admin password asked for, that seems OK. But remember I have Admin and Root on different passwords. So I'm not sure how my Admin can become Root through a Sony updater. This is all on a Mac, I should mention. Haven't been on Windows for quite some time now so situation could be different there.

 

Anyway I think it is a Bad Practice for Sony to force us to make a firmware update by plugging the camera into the computer. Every other digicam does firmware updates by reading the update off an SD card (onto which you have downloaded the update). It is so much easier.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyway I think it is a Bad Practice for Sony to force us to make a firmware update by plugging the camera into the computer. Every other digicam does firmware updates by reading the update off an SD card (onto which you have downloaded the update). It is so much easier.

 

Yes, it does seem like an imposed ("forced") practice. However, in potential defense of Sony in this particular instance (by looking at the bigger picture and in a more objective light), we also have to take into account that a tethered-based (connected to computer) firmware update can help to guard against "bricking" a camera body.

 

(Memory card-based firmware upgrades are less invasive, yes. But ... if the battery power fails in mid-update, the camera body can permanently be rendered useless, due to broken firmware code. It can be "bricked" from even being able to power up).

 

Tethering, on the other hand (given that it supplies some level of external power), can potentially guard against some of this risk.

 

Believe me, I am no fan of some of Sony's "proprietary" dealings (which can pass itself off as quite pretentious, from an aggressive market position) ... but, on the flip-side (in objective-minded counterpoint), some of the ideas may be born of well-meaning intentions.

 

Note my emphasis on the word some. ;) For example, don't even get me started on how Sony has, in prior market campaigns, implemented a proprietary hot-shoe on many of their camera bodies which would only work with their own in-house flashes, but would not accept the mounting of universal/conventional flashes (with cross-platform capability, however limited in some functionality). This is just one, of many examples, which cannot be easily justified through any other agenda aside from what passes itself off as pretentiously manipulative and draconian practices.

 

Then again, Sony is not the only camera maker which has engaged in such rather seemingly consumer-hijacking business practices.

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But ... if the battery power fails in mid-update, the camera body can permanently be rendered useless

 

But no in-camera firmware update that I've ever run will let me proceed without first installing a fully charged body.

 

And I'd rather brick the camera than brick the computer with Sony's sneaky software insertions.

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  • 3 years later...

Funny the off topic discussion here.

Just took 4 years for DSLR to be out. 2016, may have been the start of the end, hammered in place in 2018 with most shifting to mirrorless.

 

Olympus also requires camera connected for firmware updates, unless you use the hack method. Which I fully recommend now. Just recently updated my Em1 using the off card hack method.

 

I also think UV photography has recently increased in interest. So prices going up for an old favorite lens aren't surprising. But if you could buy one for $60 in 2016 and sell one now for $400, you have done better than most other investments. Which is very rare in photography. Most I see as a loss, or I have just lost on most of what I have sold.

I look at it as cheap rental for a couple of years.

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Asking price is not always selling price.

I have seen those lenses for quite some time, unless the seller have a big stock of them.

 

There are other Novoflex gems out there that still goes for a nice price.

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